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michigandaily.com/sports
sportsdesk@umich.edu
FRIDAY
JANUARY 25, 2002
9
Women
seekng
payback
on Illini
By Bob Hunt
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women's basketball
team gained some confidence in the
second half of last Sunday's win over
Indiana, but this Sunday the Wolverines
won't have the intangibles going for
them.
The Wolverines (2-6 Big Ten, 12-7
overall) will go into Champaign to face
Illinois (5-3 , 12-6), a team full of con-
fidence and experience.
"They haye much, much better
chemistry (than last year)," Guevara
said. "They lost their starting back-
court, and they still have 15 or 16
assists a game."
Illinois is looking to pack more than
10,000 fans into Assembly Hall in a
rematch of both teams' Big Ten opener.
Michigan shot a team record 66.7 per-
cent from the field and had five players
score in double figures, but committed,
18 turnovers in an 85-81 Illinois win.
The Illini, after finishing just one
game above .500 last season, are tied
for third in the Big Ten and are suc-
ceeding with a core group of players
that play well with each other. In the
first game between the two teams, Illi-
nois had four players play more than 35
ASSEMBLY HALL
Who: Michigan (2-6 Big Ten, 12-7 overall) vs.
Illinois (5-3, 12-6)
When: 3:00 p.m. Sunday
Latest: The Wolverines need a win on the road
in this rematch to start the second half of the
Big Ten season
minutes and score in double figures
while dishing off 22 assists and com-
mitting just nine turnovers.
In order to come out of the Land of
Lincoln with a victory, Michigan is
going to need big games from LeeAnn
Bies and Jennifer Smith. The Illini are
last in the Big Ten in rebounding, but
against the Wolverines they pulled
down 15 offensive boards while hold-
ing the Wolverines to just four. Bies,
after having a couple of off-games,
scored 17 against the Hoosiers in the
second half. Smith had an off day, post-
ing just four points and three rebounds.
Michigan is also going to need to
maintain the defensive intensity they
displayed in the second half of the win
against Indiana. The Wolverines were
playing lackluster defense throughout
the Big Ten season until they showed
some life and held Indiana to less than
30 percent shooting. To continue its
momentum, Michigan will play the
same 3-2 zone it used against Indiana
while also mixing occasional man-to-
man sets.
"Our defense has to be different,"
Guevara said. "We can't give up 85
points and expect to win."
With this game kicking off the sec-
ond half of the Big Ten season, Michi-
gan needs a victory against a quality
opponent to put it back on track. To
have a shot at postseason play, Michi-
gan will probably need to win at least
six of its final eight games.
B uckeyes~f
demol.0ish }
im)
' 69-47
ByJoe Smith
Daily Sports Editor , {.. ,
COLUMBUS - Maybe the
Wolverines shouldn't have shown up
last night.
Michigan coach Tommy Amaker
called the game his team's "worst per-
formance of the season," as No. 20
Ohio State outhustled and outplayed
the Wolverines, 69-47, on national tel-
evision in
front of MICHIGAN 47
18,103 at f.
Value City OHIO STATE 69
Arena.
For first-place Ohio State (6-0 Big
Ten, 15-2 overall), it was its 13th
straight conference win and its seventh
consecutive win over Michigan, dating
back to 1999.
"Our players knew everyone in the
nation was watching this," said Ohio
State coach Jim O'Brien, who has
mentioned how his Buckeyes deserve
more respect in the polls. "They were
really pumped up going into this one"
For Michigan, it was an entirely dif-
ferent story,
"You need to show poise, patience
and toughness in situations like this,"
Amaker said. "And we didn't show
any of those three."
Sound harsh? Michigan's players
echoed the sentiments.
"They were definitely tougher than
us today," said senior tri-captain Chris
Young. "When there was a loose ball,
they were on the ground and then we
were on the ground."
But surprisingly, Michigan (3-4, 7-
9) hung with the Buckeyes for the first
18 minutes, with a Dommanic Inger-
son 3-pointer giving the Wolverines a
23-21 lead with 2:18 to play in the half.
But that was the beginning of the
end. Ohio State went on an 8-0 run to
end the half, which Amaker said "was
the difference in the game."
The Buckeyes started the second
Road woe
Michigan begins run
towards NCAA berth
ALYSS
LaVell Blanchard and his teammates didn't fight hard enough for the ball in yesterday's 69.47 loss at Ohio State.
By Dan Rosen
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan water polo team is
hosting the Michigan Invitational this
weekend to begin its second season as
a varsity sport. There are high hopes
for the Wolverines this year, after the
Collegiate Water Polo Association
ranked them first in its annual presea-
son top 10.
This year, Michigan has added 16
freshmen to its roster, a
move that Michigan
coach Amber Drury-
Pinto feels is a very posi- NATy
tive step forward for the Who: Michiga
young program. Santa Barbar
"We've added a lot of Michigan Stat
depth to our squad," she When: Tomor
said. "We're fairly young day
- we're about half fresh- Latest: In its
men now." son, the WolvE
Drury-Pinto resists the expected to c
notion that the influx of the national ti
freshmen makes the Wolverines young.
"Those freshmen come in with a
great deal of high school, club and
national experience," she said.
Last season, the Wolverines com-
piled a 21-11-1 overall record but fell
short of the NCAA Tournament with a
fifth-place finish at the Eastern Con-
ference Championship - a first place
finish would have earned them a spot
in the four-team event.
"It was a great first .season," Drury-
Pinto said. "We performed well. Of
course we 'would have liked to have
finished better, but overall we were
very pleased with how we did."
Facing Michigan in the pool this
weekend will be California-Santa Bar-
s set
for return
to Ohio0
By Matt Kraier
Daily Sports Writer
Just one day removed from being
named Big Ten Athlete of the Week for
women's gymnastics and six days
removed from winning her second
consecutive all-around title, Michigan
sophomore Calli Ryals gets one more
gift tomorrow - she gets to go home.
That's because the No. 11 Michigan
woman's gymnastics team (1-0 Big
Ten, 3-2) is heading to Ryals' home
state of Ohio to face No. 23 Ohio State
j A A 2l 4-r-vv__ t , n m i:n
I
ITO
an,(
a, F
ite,
crow
sec
erir
om
tie
bara, Hawaii, Michigan State and Indi-
ana. Michigan State is still a club
team, leaving Indiana as Michigan's
only Big Ten varsity foe and its most
obvious rival. The two teams faced
each other five times last year, with
Michigan compiling a dominating 4-0-
1 record against the Hoosiers, includ-
ing two overtime victories. The
Wolverines defeated Indiana 8-2 in the
final match of the season, earning
them fifth place at the Eastern Confer-
ence Championship. But
Drury-Pinto does not want
to put any added impor-
AM tance on Sunday's game
'RIUM
California with Indiana.
Hawa i "We're taking (the
Indiana match with Indiana) just
and Sun- like any other match," she
said. "Because they're the
ond sea- only other Big Ten school,
nes are there's always that extra
pete for added rivalry. But we see
-___ them so often that it really
is just another game."
Michigan also faced Hawaii and
Michigan State last year.
History shows that it will be impor-
tant for Michigan to get off to a good
start this year. Four wins in five games
at last year's season opening Princeton
Invitational helped to propel the
Wolverines to their midseason success.
"It's always important (to get off to a
good start), especially having us open
up at home - that's always a huge
motivation," Drury-Pinto said. "The
biggest key is just for us to play well.
If we play well and we lose, I can deal
with it. But, of course, we want to
defend our home pool and come away
with as many wins as possible."
S"*"""
COLUMBUS
Who: Michigan (1-0 Big Ten, 3-2) at Ohio State
(0-0, 0-3)
When: 7:00 p.m.
Latest: Michigan guns for its 29th straight Big
Ten victory against the struggling Buckeyes.
title against Northern Illinois on Jan.
13, Ryals scored a career best 39.925
last Saturday to help the Wolverines
upset then-No.. 5 Minnesota 195.125-
195.025. The win was Michigan's 28th
straight in Big Ten competition.
Ohio State has struggled early. But
the Buckeyes have faced tough compe-
tition; their 0-3 record is deceiving
considering they have faced Kentucky,
Utah and Oklahoma, all teams in the
top 12 in the nation.
"I haven't even really been able to
look much at Ohio State," Michigan
coach Bev Plocki said. "I'm spending
so much time with our team and our
team's injuries that I haven't had any
time to enn,++h nt+"
half where they had left off in the first,
playing fundamentally sound basket-
ball and converting on both ends of the
floor. Ohio State guard - and Detroit
native - Brent Darby hit three 3-
pointers in a matter of minutes, as the
Buckeyes jumped out to a daunting
46-29 advantage with just over 12
minutes to play.
The Wolverines could only respond
with turnovers, poor ball movement
and offensive futility. Their offense
sputtered, crashed and burned like a
broken-down 1989 Dodge Dynasty,
especially at the end of the game. In
tying a season-low with 47 points, the
Wolverines shot a dismal 25 percent
and dished out a season-low six assists
- five of which came from the hands
of Avery Queen.
LaVell Blanchard led Michigan
with 11 points on 4-15 shooting.
Ingerson and Bernard Robinson com-
bined for 4-17 from the floor and were
plagued by some poor shot selections.
On the other hand, Ohio State's
s continue forBlue
By David Horn
Daily Sports Writer
COLUMBUS - Michigan has not fared well on
the road in its recent history. Its win against Penn
State in State College to begin this season's Big Ten
campaign was its first conference road win in nearly
a year. So it would have been surprising to see the
Wolverines taking it to No. 20
Ohio State at Value City Arena. BASKETBALL
But with 2:24 left in the first Notebook
half, Michigan was looking more
than competitive. It had fought
back from a 15-5 deficit to take a two-point lead.
After a jumper by reigning Big Ten Player of the
Week Brian Brown knotted the score at 23, Michigan
fell apart.
"We just had some mental breakdowns," Michigan
forward LaVell Blanchard said. "We turned the ball
over and took some quick shots."
Coming out of a timeout with just over a minute
remaining in the half, the Buckeyes flexed their
undefeated muscles. An 8-0 run to end the half fol-
lowed by a 19-6 run after the intermission put Ohio
State up 19 before the Wolverines could finally put
together a solid possession.
Eight minutes into the second half the game was
over, and the contest became the sort of blowout
Michigan fans are getting used to seeing when their
team is on the road.
"The way we ended the first half was a sign of
things to come for the rest of the game," Amaker
said.
LOCAL FLAVOR: Detroit native Brent Darby was the
ignition for an Ohio State offense that seemed to
sputter out early in the game. During the run that
began the second half, Darby scored 11 of the Buck-
eyes' 13 points, including three 3-pointers to put the
game out of reach.
He ended the game with 16 points on 4-of-6 shoot-
ing from behind the arc. His four 3-pointers are a
season-high for any Buckeye.
"I know a lot of people on that team, so it's kind of
fun to have an opportunity to play against them,"
Darby said.
T.V. EXPOSURE: The Wolverines have not fared well
in their three nationally televised games this season.
Their home games against Duke and Boston College
were televised on CBS; last night's game was tele-
vised nationally on ESPN.
In those three games Michigan has been outscored
by an average of 85-68, and has averaged more than
17 turnovers per game.
There were no complaints from the Buckeyes, who
will likely face Michigan on CBS when they meet in
Ann Arbor on March 3.
"It was a great win," Brown said. "It was even bet-
ter because it was on national television."
YESTERDAY' S GAME
Michigan (47)
FG FT REB
MIN M-A M-A 0-TA F PTS
Robinson 22 2-8 0-0, 2-7 1 4 5
Blanchard 31 4-15 2-4 1-7 0 2 11
Young 29 3-6 2-2 2-7 0 3 8
Jones 24 2-6 0.0 0.1 0 3 4
Queen 33 1-4 2-2 03 5 1 4
Dill 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 00 0
Gibson 1 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 0 0
Ingerson 19 2-9 2-2 1-2 0 2, 8
Gotfredson 5 0-1 0-0 1-1 0 1 0
Groninger 15 1-5 0-0 1-1 0 0 2
Bailey 15 2-2 1-3 1-4.0 1 5
Adebiyi 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Totals 200 17-56 9.13 9-34 6 1$ 47
FG%:.340 FT%: 692 3-point FG: 4-20 200 (Ingerson 2-
8, Robinson 1-2, Blanchard 1-3, Groninger 03, Jones 0-2,
Queen 0-1, Gotfredson 0-1). Blocks: 4 (Young 2, Bailey 2).
Steals: 2 (Queen, Gotfredson). Turnovers: 14 (Bailey 3,
Young 3, Ingerson 2, Robinson 2, Blanchard, Gotfredson,
Queen, Jones). Technical fouls: none.
OHIO STATE (69)
FG FT REB
MIN M-A M-A 0-TA F PTS
Williams 30 2-4,00 0-8 1 2 4
Radinovic 12 1-2 0-0 1-3 0 4 2
Darby 28 6-11 0.1 0-4 1 1 16
Brown 30 713 0-0 1-6 1 1 17
Savovic 31 5-12 46 1-4 7 2 15
Cheatham 13 1-4 0-0 0-2 3 1 2
Connolly 18 1-5 1-2 0.1 3 0 3
Heflin 1 0-0 -0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Smith 1 0-0 0-0 0.0 0 0 0
Dials 24 3-7 0.4 1-61 3 6
Dudley 3 0-0 0.0 1-1 0 1 0
Martin 8 0.1 0-0 2-3 0 0 0
Marinchick 1 0-2 4-4 2-2 0 0 4
Totals 200 2661 917 940 17 1569
FG%:.426. FT%: .529. 3-ont FG:822, .364 (Darby 4-6,
Brown 3-5, Savovic 1-7, Connolly 0.2, Cheatham 0.1, Mar-
inchick 0-1). Blocks: 3 (Radinovic 2, Dials). Steals: 4
(Savovic 2, Connolly, Darby). Turnovers: 7 (Brown 2,
Williams 2, Darby, Dials, Dudley). Technical fouls: none.
Michi'gan ....................23 24 - 47
Ohio State ...........29 40 - 69
At: Value City Arena, Columbus
Attendance: 18,103
backcourt of Darby, Brian Brown and
Boban Savovic combined for more
scoring than the entire Michigan team
with 48 points. And the rest of the
Buckeyes gave Michigan a clinic in
fundamentals.
Ohio State had only seven turnovers
all game to go along with 17 assists.
"They just don't make mistakes
and don't shoot themselves in the
foot," Young said, "And the way we
played, that's not how you beat a team
like that."
leers, aiming for sweep of Falcons
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psi'
By Naweed Sikora
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan's Eric Nystrom skipped
practice on Tuesday in order to nurse
an ankle injury he suffered against
Alaska-Fairbanks on Jan. 11. Nystrom,
who played hurt against Michigan
State last weekend, is not yet 100 per-
cent recovered. So why is the freshman
winger suiting up for this
weekend's series against
Bowling Green - one of YosT I
the weaker teams in the Who: Michiga
CCHA this season - CCHA,13-7-5
when he could be treating Bowling Gree
his injury? It's simple. 15-5)
"We can't afford to lose when: 7:301
any more games," Nys- 7:00 p.m. tot
trom said. Latest: Michi
After dueling to a 1-1 overcome inju
tie last weekend in Ann and complac
Arbor, the Wolverines and the 11th-plaC
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play our best hockey."
On the other side of the rink, Bowl-
ing Green is currently sitting in 1lth
place in the CCHA, just one point
ahead of last-place Lake Superior.
Scoring has been the biggest issue for
the Falcons, as their 2.5 goals-per-
game average is far too low to contend
with any of their conference oppo-
nents.
Picked to finish eighth
in the CCHA by the
ARENA media, coach Buddy Pow-
(1044 ers' Falcons were expect-
verall) vs. ing to turn some heads
4-10-2, 6- this season after a strong
showing in last year's
n. tonight, CCHA Tournament. In
rrow the first round, the No. 9
n looks to seed Bowling Green upset
es, illness No. 2 seed Miami. The
cy against Falcons went on to defeat
Falcons Northern Michigan in the
nlav-in zame h t lost a toch 2-1
10 in Ann Arbon
"We have to play the best game we'
can play, and we have to find a way to
get a puck past (Michigan goalie Josh)
Blackburn," Powers said. "When their
fans get fired up, it's like Michigan has
an extra guy out on the ice."
Given Bowling Green's position in
the standings, it would seem likely that
the team has begun to look toward next
season. But the new format of the
CCHA Tournament, in which every
team in the CCHA gets invited, is
keeping Powers focused on the present.
"We're starting to look at (the
future) a little bit, but I think we still
have an opportunity to make a move in
the standings before the playoffs,"
Powers said. "We're focused right now
on moving up the ladder."
Meanwhile, keeping pace with the
Spartans is the main thing on the
Wolverines' mind. But they will also
he concerned with developing some
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